Tractors won. In fact, in response to farmer objections across the continent, including in Italy, the European Commission will drop its plan for a restriction on Sur pesticides. This was reinforced yesterday by the President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who stated that while the SUR "represents a valid objective to reduce the risks of chemical plant protection products, it has become a symbol of polarization. The European Parliament rejected it. There is no more development in the Council. So we need to do something. That is why I will suggest to the College that we retract the proposal. But the theme persists. And to move forward, we need greater dialogue and a new approach". Last December, an Italian coalition of more than 90 civil society acronyms called #CambiamoAgricoltura, coordinated by a working group that includes the major Italian environmental, consumer and organic associations that are members of European organizations (Consumer Association ACU, AIDA, AIAB, AIAPP, Italian Biodynamic Association, CIWF Italia Onlus, FederBio, ISDE Doctors for the Environment, Legambiente, Lipu, Pro Natura, Rete Semi Rurali, Slow Food Italia and WWF Italy) had appealed to the European institutions to instead move forward with the proposal for a regulation, which aims to halve the use and risk of pesticides in EU member states by 2030, as established by the EU's Farm to Fork strategy.
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